Endangered Species Overview

Lost & Threatened Plants and Animals

Species biodiversity is important to preserve resilience for the health of the planet, its ecologies, and human life. Pressure from human activities is causing an ever-accelerating threat to many different species of plants and animals. The giant panda or the polar Bear may be the most emblematic of critically endangered animals in the popular imagination, but many other charismatic animals are endangered by anthropogenic activities such as the blue macaw, Sumatran tiger, green sea turtle, spotted owl, and California condor. Still, they are only the top of an iceberg that includes countless insects critical to pollination as well as many other mammals and plants that attract less attention and reverence. At the time of this writing, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed 120,372 species of animals and plants and have awarded the status of “threatened” to 32,441 — over 25 percent. The figures of species under threat of extinction are staggering. For example, 25 percent of mammals, 41 percent of amphibians, and 13 percent of birds.

Through many of her ecoart projects, Aviva Rahmani has flagged the crises that life on Earth faces, particularly over the ecosystems that protect both fresh and saltwater, such as estuaries She confronts the vital importance and interconnectedness of complex roles that different species play in healthy ecosystems. Many of her projects explore how art can catalyse change in the environment and positively impact or even reverse our movement toward plant and animal extinction.

Projects Focussing on Endangered Species